Wilmingtech

@Labtech200 Labtech200 - When I was about 8 years younger than you I wanted a "real" bike with shifters on the downtube instead of up on the headset. I wanted something that was less than 30 pounds and had skinny tires and a nice paint job.

We never had much money and for Christmas my parents got me a cheap bike from Kmart or Sears. It was hard to be excited about it. I feel like a chump now as they spent their hard earned cash on this heavy slow bike and all I could be was dissapointed.

Regardless, I rode it. Alot. So much that I hated it. It didn't fit me, quickly rusted and flat tires were a common thing. By that summer I was determined to get a decent bike. I rode that cheap bike to work a part time job and on the weekends mowed everything I could. Saved every penny and helped my dad with a few jobs as well. At the end of the summer I had enough to buy a Schwinn Super Sport. It was on sale for 600$ at a local shop and I had saved just enough.

I apologized to my mom for my reaction to the cheap bike and then thanked her because if it wasnt for that stupid bike I wouldnt have been as motivated to work my butt off that summer to get a new one.

Moral of the story... eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, work 2 jobs, get out of debt and save every penny you got. Ride that bike every day and let it be your motivator to get a nicer one. Work hard, ride harder.

-Sean

livedarklions

Well, we all look down on your bike, but that's because we're more than 2 feet tall.

Sorry, couldn't let that one go.

gate28

It costs a lot of money to lie down...

101stairborne

I repair a lot of department store bikes for a group that provides bikes to people who need bikes for basic transportation.

it would be a good idea to get someone to help you check the wheel bearings and bottom bracket. Often, those bikes come with little or no grease in the wheel bearings and they have been poorly adjusted.

checking wheel bearings and bottom bracket for proper grease and adjustments will probably add life to your bike and give you more joy with your riding.

Enjoy your journey.

indyfabz

Digging up old threads is free.

vane171

When it comes to this forum, nobody knows what iron I ride on, unless I post specifically about it. All that counts here is the insight you have into bicycling and mechanics of it generally.

On the road or in LBSs it is different but you can have respect if you can keep your bike in a decent mechanical shape, no matter what sort of bike it is. If I see someone's bike is badly maladjusted, like brakes, shifting or whatever, even the typical too low seat position, he won't get respect from me no matter if the bike cost several hundred or thousands. Also, respect depends on if you can maintain your bike yourself or if you go with everything to LBS and throw money at it. Even those here that could afford it do work on their bikes themselves because that goes with being into bicycling.

If you can't maintain even basics on your department store bike and need to go to LBS with everything, then soon it will cost you more than the bike initial purchase cost.

Bikes from department stores, especially those on the cheaper end but even the better ones, are meant for casual riding, not purposeful and frequent sporting like rides that put some even half serious mileage on the bike. They also need to be adjusted almost as they come from the store and keep being adjusted here and there for some time after, or else you ride them to the ground before long. You should see how they are assembled someplace in Asia, like cookies by labor with short initiation into whatever they do on the assembly line.

bampilot06

When I first started I was out of work on disability money was tight. I started with walmart bikes and no one ever said anything to me. I rode the hell out of them but both broke around 500 miles. I bought an old CAAD on craigslist rode the hell out of that until it broke and the cost to fix wasn’t worth it to me. I saved and bought a new bike.
It wasn’t until I had about 3000 miles on my new bike that somebody laughed at me. My kits were cheap and didn’t match. I remember coming home and was telling my wife about it. I was more upset with myself for letting it get to me than the fact I was laughed at.
Did I let it stop me? No. I continue to ride with hand me down kits because the bike makes me happy. I don’t do it for anyone else. Just my two cents.

ofajen

I taught myself bike repair and maintenance on a department store bike that my sister didn’t want and gave to me (JC Penney 26” 10-speed, as in 2x5, from around 1970). I will say, that bike was cheap and heavy but definitely meant to withstand vigorous riding.

Checked out all the bike books in my school library (nowadays we have the Internet and forums!) and made that bike work the best it could. I rode it all over our part of town.

A few years later I needed and bought a taller bike from a bike shop and what I learned on the department store bike helped me get the most out of that one until I needed a bigger frame yet again.

So IMO, riding and learning are good! Get to it!

Otto

indyfabz

I can’t wait until spring.

shelbyfv

Just can't kill inverse snobbery here on BF.

gate28

I have my 5k road bikes painted and decal'd to look like a Walmart bike.

GrainBrain

vane171

Thing is, in those days, all bikes were made way more honestly than today. In those days, it was mostly domestic manufacture or at any rate, European or American make. Japan was only coming on line I think in those days and there was practically no Chinese made anything. All products were made more robustly than was really necessary, vs today when everything is under dimensioned, to last just past warranty period and often not even that (companies programmatically relying on you not to bother to send in the product or on slick putting you off if you tried to return something).

Some years back I was given an old Apple computer and after I checked it wasn't some valuable antique, I took it apart before throwing it out and I was amazed at the meticulous and solid construction of it, and of course mostly if not all made in USA. Even the metal frame was made like it was to last you a lifetime, nobody knew in those days how fast it would be obsolete. On the other hand, in those days you couldn't be selling shoddy tinsel PC tower boxes of late 1990s

indyfabz

I believe it.

Chad991

Sweet Jesus this new generation is soft...and the need for everyone to approve and like them is horrible....get on your bike and ride them into the dirt, enjoy yourself and F anyone who doesn't like it. I sure no one cares what YOU ride..grow some and have fun.

ofajen

Yeah, the JC Penney bike was a welded steel frame, single piece steel cranks, steel rims, etc. So definitely heavy but also built to be ridden. Can’t recall, I assume I gave it away, because I outgrew it and it was still running perfectly.

Regarding old computers, Apple and IBM both were consistent in building durable hardware. Our university had IBM 3270 terminals in continuous use for probably at least 20 years. We have lots of 10 and 12 year old Macs that are “archaic” and still have perfectly functioning hardware.

Otto

ofajen

I used to love to hate those.

Otto

UncleG

Until u get your finances in order work on endurance and stamina. Give up on costly vices, eat healthy and ride what you have.

High School buddy road across the continent 2x on an old late 60s 3-speed. We just tore it down to the frame, refreshed cables and bearings, old fittings etc. The trip back from the NW, to The DC metropolitan area was flat free! Which I thought was more incredible than the trip itself.

wphamilton

Zombie thread which I didn't notice when replying.

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Some advice, get some basic tools (not expensive ones) and self-teach maintenance and adjustments. Your bike remains equal only as long as it's adjusted properly and maintained, which is the one downside to those kinds of bikes.

gate28

mmm...well it sort of does....represent the person...I mean not a persons soul, but definitely it represents the cyclist part of the person...doesn't it?

Happy Feet

Are you kidding? Any one with a credit card can go into debt buying an expensive road bike and matching kit. Are they represented by the bike?

Check out the bike, which was used for most of his life: https://vimeo.com/147368628

Atlas Shrugged

I find a lot more commentators on these forums make disparaging remarks and look down on people who choose to purchase premium (expensive) products. I am sure a bit of insecurity and envy plays a role in it. If someone chooses to spend 15K on a bike good for them, I really don’t care. What I am trying to articulate is the real snobs are the guys denigrating people for spending more than them as if they know the financial pivot point.

Happy Feet

I don't look down on anyone for buying what they want with their own disposable income. But I also recognize that it takes ZERO talent to use a credit card.
Basically, I take the bike out of the equation for the most part and consider what the person actually does.

Charliekeet

May I just say that based on what you’re describing, I would no longer “love going to the training circuit” after encountering that kind of behavior. Idk, maybe I’m not resilient enough, but I would just do something on my bike where I’m not in some sort of Mad Max-lite thing with a bunch of losers like that.

And can I also say that I’m always baffled by the weird behaviors from other cyclists people are apparently encountering when exercising/training/tracking their cycling skills, etc. It sounds like it’s often a huge PITA to navigate this bewildering stuff. I prefer to sweat the details in other areas of life- if cycling weren’t enjoyable, I would no longer do it.

CAT7RDR

Before I bought a proper road bike I rode a HT 29er exclusively on the local MUPS to cut my teeth. As I got in better shape I would pass riders on road bikes. Some would get offended they were passed by a HT and of course had to pass me in a sprint. They would fatigue and I would pass them again.

Some cyclists have small egos and have to act like a school yard bully to make themselves feel better about themselves. Enjoy what you ride and don't give a flying @#$% what others think.